


Electromagnetism (Valkos Week 2021)

by KatMotif



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Autumn, Competition, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Grief/Mourning, Insomnia, Mermaids, Nightmares, Post Fall of Beacon Angst, Prompt Fic, Ship week prompts, Some Canon Compliance and Some Divergence, Valentine's Day, Valkos Week 2021, coffee shop AU, finishing this late sorry lol, working out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-14 20:55:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29302278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatMotif/pseuds/KatMotif
Summary: Another ship week full of short fics? Yeah, it's time for some Valkos/Electromagnetism. Join me as I explore the dynamic between the two redheads of JNPR. As usual there's both canon compliant and canon divergent AU's. Enjoy.
Relationships: Pyrrha Nikos/Nora Valkyrie
Comments: 7
Kudos: 13





	1. Workout

There was a competitive, albeit playful energy when Pyrrha would work out with Nora. It was much different to Ren's serious, thoughtful approach when she did yoga or meditated with him, or to her sparring and tutoring Jaune, him being so unsure but willing to learn. Working out with Nora was fun in the same way that competing had been, though she didn't get any more famous from it. It was nice to have someone who could not only keep up with her but even challenge her in some way. 

For instance, Nora could bench press more than she could, something that caught her off guard at first given Nora’s small stature. But there was a lot of power in that small package, and in time, as she came to know and adore the shorter girl, she came to admire it. They were neck and neck in terms of how many push-ups or sit-ups each of them could do, but Pyrrha could run faster and farther and jump higher than Nora (“You have those long legs, Pyrrha, it isn’t fair!” Nora whined at times). 

Sometimes the competitive energy leaked into other aspects of their relationship; who could finish their homework first? Or, who could eat more of Ren’s delicious pancakes? Silly little competitions that Nora came up with, out of boredom or perhaps because she just liked spending time with Pyrrha. Pyrrha sure didn’t mind; Nora’s enthusiasm was endearing and she was adorable when she was happy and excited when Pyrrha would agree to these little competitions, bouncing in her seat or on her feet and grinning from ear to ear.

But then they started dating. Suddenly their competitions had wagers; whoever lost would have to give the other a piggy back ride back to the dorms, or buy the other snacks. Little things within reason for them both, though sometimes Pyrrha went out of her way to lose just so she could reward Nora just as an excuse to get her something. (Though once Nora noticed, she seemed upset about it, so Pyrrha stopped doing that.)

“Loser kisses the winner” bets were both of their favorites though, for obvious reasons. The first time that wager was stipulated it was a hand-to-hand sparring session. It ended with Pyrrha pinning Nora to the ground, the both of them panting. Even though it was Nora who lost, Pyrrha couldn’t help herself and leaned down, meeting Nora halfway. It was their first kiss, slow and gentle and despite the soreness they were both feeling and how sweaty they both were, to them, it was perfect.

And each kiss after that became sweeter, were less incentives and more actual rewards. Whenever Nora broke her push-up record or when Pyrrha reached a new weight limit when lifting, or when Nora finally beat Pyrrha fair and square racing to the cafeteria. When one of them aced a test they’d both studied for. And sometimes, even, just for the heck of it.


	2. Coffee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coffee Shop AU. A visit to her college campus' coffee shop gets Pyrrha into more than just lattes.

Beacon University had a small coffee shop on campus that allowed students to work part-time (as long as they met a certain GPA) and was fairly popular with students and faculty alike. Pyrrha had never been too much of a coffee drinker before, disliking the bitter black liquid her mother would drink during her junior track & field competitions (she snuck a sip when she was 13 and instantly hated it). But she’d heard the place had a variety of really nice things besides coffee and after a few months on campus she couldn’t resist her curiosity about the place anymore.

It was a Saturday, and Pyrrha had no class that day and her track practice had already ended. The cafeteria had been bombarded since there was some sort of club event going on there. Pyrrha was never overly fond of crowds anyway, so it was the perfect opportunity to walk across campus and finally check out the little coffee shop. There were thankfully less people there that morning, just a small group of girls at one table going over a group project; there was a white haired girl and a girl whose hair was black with a red ombre arguing quietly over something while a blonde laughed and another girl with black hair (was she wearing cat ears? cute) was trying to get them to focus.

“Hello! I haven’t seen you around before!” A chipper voice suddenly grabbed Pyrrha’s attention, turning her towards the counter. There was a shorter girl with red hair (more orange shade than Pyrrha’s own) and a wide grin, a glint of something in blue eyes. 

“Oh, um. Hello. I haven’t been here before. But I’ve heard really good things.” Pyrrha stammered, taken aback a bit, face flushing slightly. 

“Well, that’s okay. New faces are always welcome around here. Go ‘head and look at the menu or ask questions if you’re not sure of anything.” The barista said, bouncing in place a bit. 

“Nora, you didn’t sneak a cup of non-decaf again, did you?” Another voice said, a guy with long black hair who was brewing some tea.

“No Ren, I’m just excited. You know me.” The small girl said, going over and playfully batting the boy’s arm. Pyrrha glanced over at the clear teapot; she’d never seen a tea be such a bright shade of pink before. 

“You have tea here as well?” Pyrrha asked softly. She had truthfully never been to a coffee shop that wasn’t a Starbucks.

“Oh yeah, and we make iced and frozen drinks too, and some smoothies. As well as some baked stuff--Ren’s  _ really _ good at making those. Do you have an idea of what you want?” Nora replied, looking up at Pyrrha with a bit of pink to her cheeks.

“Not at all. What do you recommend to someone who has only had coffee once by stealing a sip from her mom and hated it?” Pyrrha said with a giggle. Nora giggled along and nodded.

“What didn’t you like about it?” Nora asked.

“It was...really bitter.” Pyrrha replied, grimacing slightly.

“Oh, it must have been black. Do you know if your mom ever added anything to it?” Nora continued to question.

“...no, come to think of it she would just drink it as it was poured from the coffee machine.” 

“Yep. Some people like coffee like that. When you don’t add sugar or cream or milk with it it’s called Black coffee.” Nora explained. “Me, I add a lot of cream and sugar to mine. And I like iced coffee more than hot.”

“Wait, you can drink it iced?” Pyrrha mused, blinking. Nora nodded.

“You sure can. And there’s all kinds of blends; he got the house blend, vanilla, hazelnut,” Nora went on for a minute or two just listing off all kinds of coffee flavors, most of which Pyrrha didn’t even know existed. “And most also come in decaf, which means there’s less caffeine than regular coffee. I have to drink that kind, regular coffee makes me shaky as heck.”

“Not to mention you can lose several days of sleep if you drink too much,” Ren added in playful banter.

“Hush, tea drinker.” Nora spat back half-heartedly, sticking her tongue out at her friend. She turned back to Pyrrha. “Don’t mind us, we’ve been besties since we were kids.”

“I see.” Pyrrha giggled. “I’m still not sure what I want, though. There’s so much to choose from.”

“I gotcha. How about I make you something I think you’ll like? How sweet do you like your drinks?” Nora offered, beaming a bit. Pyrrha had a feeling she should indulge the other girl. Plus it was rather hard to say no to someone so cute.

“Fairly, but not overly so.” Pyrrha answered.

“Caffeine okay?” 

“I can handle a bit, yes.”

“And hot or cold?”

“Hot, please.” It was the middle of autumn, so Pyrrha wanted something that would help fight the cold breeze.

“Okie dokie. Any particular flavors you like?”

“Something...seasonal.”

“...got it. Gimme a bit.” Nora said before she retreated from the counter. Pyrrha looked around the cafe some more. She looked back over to the four girls, not realizing until then they’d grown silent and were all looking at her. She waved, a nervous smile creeping on her face. They waved back then returned to their work.

“Okay, ready. I made you a Pumpkin Spice latte!” Nora said, placing the insulated cup on the counter. Pyrrha picked it up and took a careful sip. It tasted almost like a slice of pumpkin pie, with a hint of something familiar but much more pleasant than she remembered.

“Mm, that’s...wonderful, Nora.” Pyrrha complimented, smiling at her. “How much do I owe you?”

“It’s only $3.25, but...I’ve got this one. If you’ll come back more often.” Nora said, biting her lips slightly. Pyrrha’s face grew warm again.

“Of course,” Pyrrha said. “Even if just to see you more.” Both the redheads blushed where they stood, and the table in the corner was suddenly all giggles and some shushing.

“By the way, what was your name?” Nora asked.

“Pyrrha.”

“You can’t buy drinks for every girl who comes in here just because you think they’re cute.” Ren later teased Nora. She elbowed him in the side.

“First of all, I don’t do it  _ that _ often. Maybe once or twice.” Nora replied huffily.

“You’ve bought drinks for all four girls at that table.” Ren pointed out.

“Well, Ruby, Yang, Blake and Weiss are all really cute, okay? So sue me.” Nora rolled her eyes, “Plus you did it for that one guy. What was his name? John?”

“ _ Jaune _ , his name is Jaune.” Ren said, blushing slightly. “And come to think of it he should be getting out of class any moment now.”

“Right.” Nora said, giggling. “Do you think Pyrrha will come back?”

“I think you made a good first impression, certainly.” Ren mused sipping some water from a clear plastic cup. “I don’t think I’ve seen you make someone blush like that in quite a while, actually.”

“You think?” Nora said, bouncing on her feet again. Ren nodded, chuckling.

“I think so.”

And sure enough, the next day, Pyrrha came back, and would again every day that month. At some point, Nora wrote her cell number on the cup she prepared the Pumpkin Spice latte in. She got a text later that day, and from there, the two would spend a lot more time together, and not just in the campus coffee shop. A visit of curiosity got Pyrrha much more than a taste for flavored coffee lattes. Who knew going to a coffee shop would get you a cute girlfriend?


	3. Sea Legs (Mermaid AU)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pyrrha decides to go out to sea and meets an unexpected new friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a day late and could be read as either romantic or platonic so have fun with that.

Pyrrha had always loved the seas, since she was a little girl. She would enjoy greatly when her grandfather would take her on his fishing boat, back then, always within his arm’s reach but freer than she had ever felt on land. Those days had been long behind her, though, and she was now going to sea for the first time since her grandfather had become too frail to sail any longer. His boat had been in need of some repairs, but she had earned quite enough to fix it up as good as new. It was perhaps irresponsible to go out all alone, but she felt she’d seen her grandfather sail enough times to know what she was doing.

She was fine until the sea became rougher than she’d ever experienced before, hours from where she had sailed from. A sudden storm had set in and after a few rough waves, she was knocked off of her feet, then off of the ship. The waves were too rough for her to swim through, even with being a gifted swimmer, she found everything going dark in moments. Her last thoughts were wishing her grandfather was there to help her, as he had when she’d fallen off his boat when she was a child.

_ I’m sorry... _

She awoke to find herself on an unfamiliar beach, the warmth of the sun and the sensation of warm sand bringing her back to life. She gasped for air, coughing up water from her lungs, feeling as if someone had just resuscitated her. But she couldn’t see anyone else on the beach--

A head sprung out of the water. Bright orange hair and blue eyes and for some reason she had a fish in her mouth. The other girl came onto shore, and Pyrrha blinked in disbelief because the girl had a bright pink fish tail where her legs should be. A mermaid?

“Um...hello.” Pyrrha said to the little mermaid. She crawled over to Pyrrha and placed the fish onto Pyrrha’s lap.

“You eat, uh huh?” the mermaid said in a soft voice.

“Oh…” Pyrrha said, smiling nervously at the gracious gift. The fish was much bigger than what she could eat by herself (how did this small mermaid girl catch a swordfish by herself?). “Thanks. Would you...like to share?”

“S-share?” The mermaid asked, cutely tilting her head.

“Yes. I’ll have some and I’ll give you some so you can have some too. That’s what sharing is.” Pyrrha explained, relaxing a bit.

“Share!” The mermaid said, nodding. So Pyrrha slowly got up and grabbed some firewood to start a fire. The mermaid watched in confusion but intrigue. She seemed a bit startled when Pyrrha first started the fire, but then watched on in amusement as Pyrrha cooked the fish as best as she could for the two of them; it was tricky to cook a big fish on a campfire for her, not being experienced, and she overcooked it just a bit, but as Pyrrha saw, the mermaid didn’t seem to mind it at all, eating her share enthusiastically.

The mermaid excused herself suddenly, bringing a small portion of her share back into the water. Pyrrha watched as she popped back up from the water with another head, one with black hair and, just barely visible in the dark, striking pink eyes that looked at her intensely. He nodded thankfully, silently, before sinking back into the water. The mermaid came back on land.

“Ren shy, no trust humans. I have good feeling about you. Was right.” The mermaid explained. “Sorry, human common speak hard. Ren can speak better than me.”

“I see,” Pyrrha said, nodding. She could understand the distrust of human beings by mythical beings like the merfolk. A crueler human would have slain them, or captured them to display in a glass cage. “What is your name?”

“Nora!” The mermaid cheered, grinning. “You?”

“Pyrrha. Pyrrha Nikos of Argus.”

“Argus not too far...you go home?” The mermaid asked as Pyrrha found her ship further down the beach; damaged minorly but not enough to stop her from sailing back home.

“I will have to. I’m sorry I can’t stay.” Pyrrha apologized; truth be told, she wanted to know more about this cute little mermaid, but she also had responsibilities back home. Like the farm boy she’d begun tutoring.

“Will come...visit?” Nora asked with pleading eyes. Pyrrha smiled, nodding.

“I would love to. And you can come visit me too. My family has a private dock, no one will see a mermaid pop up. And I’d like to know your friend more, too.”

“Yeah! Ren will like you. Once he gets used to you. Very...shy.”

Pyrrha climbed aboard her boat and was about to say goodbye to Nora when the mermaid motioned for her to come a bit closer. When Pyrrha kneeled down, Nora pressed her finger to Pyrrha’s nose.

“Boop!” Nora murmured happily. Pyrrha giggled and Nora jumped back into the water.

“See you soon, Nora.” Pyrrha murmured.

As she prepared to set sail from the little island, the other merfolk popped their head from the water. His eyes weren’t quite so intense this time, observing more than glaring.

“When you come back…” Ren said, his voice soft, “I will cook next time. We return acts of kindness in the sea.”

“I would appreciate that. Thank you. And tell Nora I said thank you as well.” Pyrrha replied, smiling at the merman.

“Nora is usually less trusting than me,” Ren admitted, “The fact that she took to you so quickly is...strange. I will keep an eye on you. But you have made a good first impression. Get back to your shores safely.” 

And with that, Ren was gone. Pyrrha sailed home from that island with her skin slightly burned and her heart fluttering. She found a lovely pink conch shell with a lightning bolt carved into it sitting on the wooden docks waiting for her.


	4. Sleepless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Pyrrha lives AU Post-Beacon) Nora can't sleep because sometimes she just can't. But at least she can comfort Pyrrha when nightmares keep her awake.

Nora was having another one of those nights that no matter how relaxed and comfortable she was, sleep would be just beyond her grasp. Whether nightmares kept her from closing her eyes or just plain being too on guard to sleep, there were some nights where she just couldn’t sleep. And yet, this night in particular was not only her own restlessness that was keeping her awake, as once more, Pyrrha’s peaceful slumber was broken by gasping, her shooting up into a sitting up position, holding her face in her hands.

Nora quietly rose from her own bed, careful not to irritate her wounds (Ren would be upset if he had to change her bandages again, especially if he was woken up at this time of night to do so). She slowly snuck over to the bed Pyrrha was occupying and sat beside her. Pyrrha looked up at her, hand over her bandaged chest.

“Did I wake you? I’m so sorry--”

“No, I couldn’t sleep.” Nora interrupted, taking Pyrrha’s hand in hers. “Another nightmare?”

“...yeah. I swear I can still feel that arrow.” Pyrrha lamented, recalling her near-death experience at Beacon Tower. “If Jaune and Ruby hadn’t gotten there--if Jaune hadn’t unlocked is semblance and--”

“Don’t do that to yourself. Don’t think about the what-if’s right now.” Nora soothed, brushing her thumb over Pyrrha’s knuckles. “You’re here. You’re  _ alive _ .”

“I know…” Pyrrha whispers, her voice starting to crack, tears spilling anew from her green eyes, “But it really feels as if...I’m not  _ supposed _ to be.”

“Oh, Pyrrha.” Nora murmured, leaning closer and hugging Pyrrha, her arms around her waist and her head on her shoulder. Pyrrha leaned into her, returning the hug, her face burying into Nora’s hair.

“I’m gonna tear that bitch apart for what she did to you, and to our school.” Nora grumbled, running her fingers through Pyrrha’s locks, kissing her forehead. “Nobody tries to kill my family and gets away with it.” 

“I appreciate the thought, but...she...she’s  _ dangerous _ . I could barely keep up with her.” Pyrrha explained, wiping her eyes with her palms and sniffling.

“Well, that just means next time you’re not facing her alone.” Nora replied, pulling back to look Pyrrha in the eye. “You’re bringing me with you. We’ll take her down together.”

“It’s not that simple…” Pyrrha tried to explain, but then Nora’s lips touched her own and she couldn’t help but melt a bit into the smaller girl’s kiss.

“Together.” Nora retorted softly, brushing Pyrrha’s hair back behind her ear. Pyrrha sighed, smiling.

“Together-together.” She amended.

“Even better! We’re gonna kick her ass then make out.” Nora added, the two girls quietly giggling. After they both realized they were too sore to keep giggling, Nora kissed Pyrrha’s shoulder.

“You should go back to sleep.” Nora murmured.

“I don’t think I can now. Stay with me?” Pyrrha asked.

“I was gonna ask if I could. Want me to hold you, Pyr?”

“Please do.” And the two girls lay together on the twin bed, Nora holding Pyrrha in her arms. Maybe it was the mutual comfort but eventually, the both of them did fall asleep, and no more nightmares were had that night.


	5. Apple Cider & Pumpkin Spice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pyrrha has always loved autumn. Nora learns how to.

Autumn had always been Pyrrha’s favorite time of year, ever since she was a little girl, running through leaf piles and being called inside by her mother. Her birthday was just into its first days, which helped instil a fondness of the season but it was so much more than that; it was the color changing and falling of leaves, the crisping and chilling of the air after summer’s end. The wonders of the season had never lost their magic with Pyrrha, and that was especially true of the seasonal treats.

One of her fondest memories was the first time her mother made an apple cider bundt cake for her birthday. She would make that same cake every year (so long as she could, save the year or two her birthday took place during a competition). It was always spiced perfectly, not overly so but also not too little as to be bland. It was one of her very favorite things to eat. 

Autumn was always a season that caused Nora to raise her guard. The oncoming cold and days lasting shorter always meant the window for her and Ren to safely find shelter was ever smaller. The changing of the leaves was something Nora liked but she hated that they had to fall, as crunching leaves beneath their feet could lure the attention of Grimm. The rainy days were especially worrisome, because the idea of Ren or her getting sick was terrifying, because you could always get even more sick. She remembers at least one occasion of Ren getting sick and her carrying him on her back to get them both to shelter, him shivering and cold on her back.

By the time they got to Beacon, the first signs of autumn wouldn’t cause her so much panic as it brought back unpleasant memories. But the days of running for shelter were long behind her now, and she was slowly learning to enjoy the season for it’s more positive signs. Jumping into a pile of leaves wasn’t just for hiding but something fun, the crunch of fallen leaves no longer something that stopped her heart.

It was their first autumn together as a team and Pyrrha’s mother sent her the recipe for her favorite cake. Pyrrha had helped her mother make it once or twice but she had never done it on her own before. Ren was studying in the library and Jaune was asleep, but Nora was unoccupied. 

“Do you want to bake a cake with me?” Pyrrha asked.

“Cake? Heck yeah!” Nora cheered. The two got to work; thankfully the school lounge’s kitchen area had all the tools they needed, and Pyrrha had bought all the ingredients the day before after their classes had ended. While they baked, Pyrrha made them some (decaf of course) pumpkin spice coffee, with cream and sugar, the two of them laughing and playfully chatting away as they waited.

“I’m really happy to share this with you, Nora.” Pyrrha said suddenly, smiling at Nora as the shorter girl sat up on the counter. She giggled as the other girl blushed.

“Me too.” Nora agreed. Pyrrha set her cup down on the counter, then gently took Nora’s and set hers down too before wrapping her arms around the other’s waist. Nora just barely stopped herself from biting her lip before Pyrrha’s lips covered them, instead running her fingers through the taller girl’s longer, redder hair instead.

“I think I actually like autumn now.” Nora murmured against Pyrrha’s lips. Pyrrha giggled.

“Wait until you try the cake.”

Nora loved it.


	6. Destiny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nora reflects on Pyrrha while she heals.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The prompt was supposed to be soulmates but I didn't know what to write for it. I wanted to write angst instead apparently. I'm gonna write the last fic tomorrow, sorry I'm late but my motivation has been lacking as of late due to work being very stressful.

Nora realized, looking at the clothes she’d been wearing in Atlas, now laid aside as he healed on Weiss’ bed, that she had been missing something. Something that she didn’t so much forget on purpose as something she’d omitted in her own distractions. There was no red on any part of what she’d been wearing. Nothing to remind herself of who’d she’d lost; her beloved Pyrrha.

But maybe a part of her was trying to forget, her complicated feelings would only be further complicated by further mourning her lost teammate, something she’d wanted to bury and leave behind in Argus with her memorial. Not because she wanted to forget Pyrrha, but forget the way thinking about the taller girl made her feel. The complicated feelings she’d never gotten to figure out, only for her to be gone one day.

Her last outfit had had a shirt with a heart-shaped hole on the chest, which she’d slashed through in her grief. Her heart was broken, and that was her way of showing it. Nora had always worn her heart on her sleeve, or wherever she could. But she also didn’t let her feelings, or her pain show; it was a Grimm magnet and there were things to be done, answers to be sought out, feelings could wait.

Feelings had bottled up and exploded and in Mantle and Atlas they had flowed out and Nora had made a mess of things; her relationship with Ren had hit a snag and seeing Atlas treat Mantle like it was nothing had pushed her to the point. Plus she realized she didn’t know who she really was outside of her relationships, her abilities, her strength. Who was Nora?

And she wished so badly she could just talk to Pyrrha, because Pyrrha had always had a definitive idea of who she was (or at least seemed to). She made a point to show she was more than the reputation she had (which Nora hadn’t heard about until meeting her) and that there was a kind, sweet, wonderful, beautiful girl behind the champion, the reputation. Pyrrha would know what to say, wouldn’t she? What to do about their current predicament, perhaps? Maybe Ironwood would have listened to Pyrrha--Pyrrha was always someone who believed in equality and justice, maybe she’d have tried to talk sense into the general.

But destiny was cruel, destiny had cut Pyrrha’s life short and left a void in Nora’s life. Another tear in her heart that had already been torn up before she’d even met the other girl. What she wouldn’t give to talk to Pyrrha one more time. But she knew it would be a long time before she would be able to; she had come close at the base but she still lived. She was still here, still apart from Pyrrha, still unable to see her. But she knew Pyrrha would tell her one thing;  _ keep moving forward _ . 


	7. Valentine's

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nora and Pyrrha go out on a date for Valentine's Day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (This is super late and I'm sorry)

Nora had never been on a date before, but when Pyrrha had asked if she wanted to go out on Valentine’s Day, she was eager to accept her invite. Her face had started to hurt because she hadn’t stopped smiling since she’d been asked by the taller redhead, butterflies fluttering in her guts. She didn’t know what to expect, or even what she’d wear; she at least had Ren to help her figure the latter out, though. So in the dorm bathroom, she sat in front of the mirror while Ren braided her hair back on both sides.

“What am I supposed to do?” She asked Ren, looking into the mirror, at the make-up gently applied by her best friend.

“Just be yourself. That’s what got Pyrrha to like you in the first place.” Ren answered, styling Nora’s hair gently.

“You make it sound like it’s easy.” Nora chuckled. Ren smiled.

“I think you’re gonna be fine.”

“And what about you and Jaune?”

“You leave that to me.” They both chuckled.

“You look wonderful, Nora.” Pyrrha complimented sweetly, as Nora came over to her in the long sleeved, knee length sequined pink dress Ren picked out for her. Pyrrha’s dress reminded Nora of the dress she’d worn to the dance, save being a darker shade of red and having love sleeves that covered her hands.

“You look  _ amazing. _ ” Nora replied, grinning widely, face reddening a bit. Pyrrha giggled and reached to her.

“Let’s get going.”

The restaurant was fancier than anywhere Nora had been in her entire life (and there were parts of Beacon she thought were pretty fancy). The lighting was dim and every table had fancy candles on them, the curtains over the walls glittering, chandeliers strew across the ceiling. In the center of the restaurant was the biggest aquarium of tropical fish Nora had probably ever seen in her life.

Years ago Nora would never have thought to even stand outside a place like this, let alone step into it. Now here she was, the Valentine of Pyrrha Nikos, arm in arm with the taller champion as the hostess led them over to the table. It was a small table with just two chairs across from each other, a glittery black tablecloth strewn over it.

“This place...I feel like I don’t belong in a place like this.” Nora whispered to Pyrrha. Pyrrha kissed her temple quickly.

“Don’t be silly. You’re here with me, and if anyone has a problem with that, they can take it up with me.” Pyrrha whispered back. Nora pushed down those insecurities and beamed at her.

“I love it when you say you’d kick someone’s butt for me.”

“More than that, but I would.”

Nora giggled.

They’d placed their orders (Nora paled when she saw the prices on the menu but Pyrrha was quick to reassure her it was fine) and sat at the table, arms reached across the table, their hands intertwined in the center on each side of the candelabra. Pyrrha’s thumbs brushed Nora’s knuckles and their eyes met. Nora bit her lip and looked down.

“You didn’t have to do all this, y’know.” Nora stammered.

“I wanted to. You deserve to be treated nicely. Especially after everything you’ve been through.” Pyrrha reassured her softly. 

“But Pyrrha,” Nora said, looking back up at her softly, “I don’t want to take advantage of you.”

“You’re not. I want to do this. To spoil you.” Pyrrha mused, lifting one of Nora’s hands and kissing it’s palm. “As long as you’ll let me.”

“Pyrrha…” Nora murmured, her face flushing a deep red. “Then I...I’m gonna return the favor. Somehow.”

“Your love is more than enough.” Pyrrha hummed. Nora giggled.

“Well, good thing I’ve got a lot of that to give.”

After a wonderful dinner, the two girls walked hand in hand down the boardwalk, Nora’s head on Pyrrha’s arm. The night sky was clear, and though the lights of Vale dimmed the stars they were a bit more visible here on the shore. They paused and looked up at the full moon together.

“Tonight was lovely.” Pyrrha mused, reaching over and running a hand through Nora’s hair. The shorter girl sighed into her touch.

“You’re lovely.” Nora replied, smiling up at Pyrrha. The taller girl giggled before she leaned down, pressing a soft but passionate kiss onto Nora’s lips. Nora’s arms wrapped around her neck and pulled her down a bit more. They stood there kissing for a few moments, just standing in each other’s arms, tightening around each other.

“We really should get back before they start monitoring the school gates for who’s violating curfew.” Nora reasoned after a bit. Pyrrha giggled.

“It’s a good thing we know how to get around that, but you’re right. We  _ do _ have class in the morning.”

And so, they resumed their walk, occasionally pausing so that Pyrrha could twirl Nora or pick her up and swing her in her arms, the two girls giggling and reveling in the love they found in each other. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Okay Valkos week is done! Late, ofc, but it's done. Life has been super stressful these past few months. Hopefully things will ease up for me so I can get back to consistently writing? Anyway thank you for reading!)


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